Multiple spray rate pressurized package dispenser



Jan. 25, 1966 E. H. GREEN ETAL MULTIPLE SPRAY RATE PRESSURIZED PACKAGE DISPENSER Filed Jan. 5. 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ited es This invention relates generally to the type of apparatus known as aerosal spray devices, and more particularly is concerned with apparatus which will enable the user to select one of a plurality of spray rates from the same pressurized package.

The type of pressurized product with which the invention is most likely to be used is hair lacquer or similar cosmetic and paint or the like. For example, during the process of adjusting coitlure, the user of'sprayed hair lacquer may wish to dispense very small quantities for interim setting of the parts of the hair and when completely arranged, the user will wish to cover the entire coiflure with a heavy spray. Similar situations in applying paint, enamel, varnish or the like are understood to occur.

The invention enables the same spray package to be used with different spray rates. Since the most ordinary requirements are for a fine and a coarse spray, the preferred embodiment which is described shows a construction providing two rates. More than two can be achieved, but only with added expense, as described hereinafter.

Since other constructions have been devised to provide multiple spray rates from pressurized packages, the primary object of the invention is to provide a structure which dillers from others in that: there is no need to twist the spray head to different positions in using the package; the user can change the spray rate by merely varying the finger pressure on the spray head without putting the package down or stopping an operation being performed by his other hand; no special construction of spray head or valve housing differing from well-known slotted-stem dispensers need be used; no complicated parts are required.

Other objects will appear to those skilled in this art as a description of the preferred embodiment appears hereinafter, in connection with which the drawings illustrate the same.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a median sectional view taken through a pressurized package constructed in accordance with the invention taken generally along the line 11 of FIG. 2 and in the direction indicated.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper end of a pressurized package to show the environment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2 showing the apparatus in the condition where none of the pressurized product is being dispensed.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top of the assembled inner and outer plungers, here shown in their relative position according to a condition shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the plungers of FIG. 4.

MG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 but in this case the user has pressed the spray head downward to its first stage and the pressurized product is beingdispensed at a fine rate.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIGS. '3 and 4, but in this case, the user has pressed the spray head downward to its second stage, and the pressurized product is being dispensd at a coarse rate.

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FIG. 8 is a fragmentary bottom view of the stern of the spray head.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified form of the first stage metering groove taken on the line 99 of FIG. 4 and in the indicated direction.

As may be noted from a cursory examination of the illustrations, the invention is characterized by the provision of two valve plungers telescopically arranged one inside the other, each having a valve seat, the inner being urged against the sealing gasket by a weak spring engaging between the bottom of the inner plunger and the floor of a cup-like cavity formed in the outer plunger, while the outer plunger is urged against the sealing gasket by the strong spring bearing against its underside and seated in the valve housing. The first stage movement consists of overcoming the bias of the weak spring, giving access for the pressurized product over the inner valve seat into the hollow stem of the spray head from the valve housing through a radial metering groove in the outer valve seat. The second stage movement consists of further pushing down on the spray head and overcoming the bias on the stronger spring, giving the same access for the pressurized product over the inner valve seat, but now also giving additional access over the outer valve seat.

The construction and operation of the basic apparatus is based upon the well-known slotted stem, single stage aerosol dispenser. In this device there is a spring-pressed single valve plunger having a socket and being mounted for vertical reciprocation in a valve housing. The valve housing is enclosed, has a bottom dip tube extending down into the pressurized package and has an upper flared end. The flared end is crimped into an upstanding boss formed in a cover member secured to the top of the package and clamps an annular sealing gasket into the boss. A spray head with an external orifice and a hollow depending stem has the stem removably engaged through holes in the boss and gasket and engaged in the socket. The gasket seals the stem and a slot in the bottom end of the stem is blocked ofif from the housing because the valve plunger has a seat on its top end pressed against the bottom of the gasket around the stem and gasket hole. Where the socket opens at the seat the slot extends into the gasket. Where the socket opens to a gallery or pocket below the seat, the slot need not extend into the gasket, but need only extend into the gallery or pocket. In either case, pushing the spray head down unseats the plunger from the bottom face of the gasket and exposes the upper end of the slot. The pressurized product passes over the valve seat, into the slot end, into the hollow bore of the stem, where it expands, then out the external orifice of the spray head.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference character 20 is a pressurized package comprising a sheet metal canister 22 designed to contain the high pressure associated with such packages, having a dome 24 with a curled opening 26 to which the construction of the invention is secured. A cover member 23 has a lip 34 curled over the opening 26 and crimped in place, being sealed by gasket material 32. The cover member has an annular well 34 provided with a central upstanding boss 36 in the top wall 38 of which there is a central opening 40. A hollow valve housing 42 with a dip tube 44 secured at its constricted narrow end 46 has a flared upper end 43 that clamps an annular disc-like rubber gasket 50 to bottom of the wall 38, the housing 42 being fixed in place by pinches or crimps 52 around the boss 36.

A spray head 54 of any suitable upper end construction and having an external spray orifice 56, has a hollow stem 53 with expansion bore 6% which passes through the hole 40 and through an aligned opening 62 in gasket 50 and is removably mated with a socket 64 in the inner valve plunger 66. The plunger 66 will be described in exposing the upper end of slot 74 in gallery 104 to the greater detail hereinafter, but at this point only its socket cavity 94. The pressure of the spring 112 is light and 64 will be referred to. as soon as the plunger 66 bot-toms on the floor 96 the op- The spray head stem 58 fits in the socket 64 close erator feels a resistance, requiring greater pressure for enough to be sealed therein, but is readily removed or 5 further movement. This feeling is easily recognized afinstalled therein. Its bottom end is chamfered at 68 for ter one or two trials, and in most instances, the plunger ready passage through openings 40 and 62 since opening 66 need not even be bottomed, since the fine spray will 62 is a tight and constricting fit. The floor 70 of the come immediately. socket is annular and enables positive bottoming of the The opening to the slot 74 is chosen to be much larger chamfered end 68, while there is an upwardly projecting than the opening aflYorded by the metering groove 100, pilot protuberance 72 to stabilize the bottom end of the hence the latter controls spray rate, so long as the plunger stem and aid in properly seating the same in the socket 80 is not unseated. The flow of pressurized product is 64. The stem has a slot 74 in its side opening to the botshown by arrows in FIG. 6. tom 68 of the stem and extending axially in the level 76. In FIG. 7, the operator has pushed the spray head and The slot 74 is quite wide compared to most single stage stem down further than in FIG. 6, against the pressure slotted stem spray heads, but this is for a purpose to be of both springs 112 and 84, so that both plungers are undescribe-d. seated. The groove 100 is now ineffectual to control Referring now especially to FIGS. 3 to 7, there are spray rate. This being the function of the opening to two valve plungers, an inner one 66 mentioned above, the slot 74 and the pressurized product comes over the d an outer one 80. The outer plunger 80 has a guideseat 92, all around the plunger 80, down into the gallery flange 82 to permit vertical reciprocation in the housing 104, and through slot 74. This is shown by arrows. 42 and is urged upward by helical spring 84 which ex- Further explanation is believed unnecessary. Modifitends from constriction 46 to engage reduced diameter cation and minor changes are readily made without debottom end 86. Pressurized material readily finds its way parting from the spirit of the invention. up the dip tube 44 into the chamber 88 of the housing What it is desired to claim is: 42 and up past the flange 82 through the transverse pas- 1. A valve assembly for providing selectively difierent sageway 90. The spring 84 is referred to herein as strong, spray rates from a pressurized package, said assembly but this is a relative word, since another much smaller comprising: and hence much weaker spring will be referred to. The (a) la. dispenser spray head with a hollow depending spring 84 urges the outer plunger 80 upward so that an stem, and an axial slot extshdih'g 91931 through the annular valve seat 92 provided on the upper end of the Wall of said stem, plunger 80 bears against the underside of gasket 50. A a P of Valve Phlhgefs, cup-like cavity 94 is formed in the outer plunger 80 havthe first 011s of said Plungers being nested Within ing a floor 96 and a conical centering fillet 98 formed the second 0116 Of said p g at the juncture of floor 96 and the inner face of the cavity said spray head being ssflted Within Said first 94. Obviously the seat 92 would seal the cavity so from pl g for joint movement therewith, the chamber 88 when engaged against the gasket 50 if it a 10st motion Connection for enabling the joint were continuous, but according to the invention there is m v m of Shit! second Plunger and said first P a radial groove 100 in the seat 92 which provides the y after h first Plunger has been moved a first stage metering for the device. This groove 100 is Pfedetem11hd dlstance, very small and is chosen to provide a passage for fluid (D said second P 8 having first metering means at a fine spray rate. It may be ,3 plurality of much narlfOI determining Ia relatively fine rate Of flOW Of rower grooves to prevent blockage by the resilient bulg- Pressurized Product being dispensed through said ing of the gasket or a single groove. If wide, it may spray i 0 be canted to promote drainage as shown in FIG. 9. 4 second meterlhg f' defined b t e n sa d first The inner plunger 66 has a valve seat 102 on its upper Valve h h and sa1d slot in said sp y head for end and may have a gallery or pocket 0 into which determ ning a relatively coarse rate of flow of the slot 74 opens and above which slot end 76 doe-s not ex- Pressunzed Pmduct dispensed through said tend. If there were no gallery, slot end 76 would be spray head above the Valve seat 102 and the slot 74 could extend 50 sa1d first and metering means being selecs-omewhat into the gasket, because the socket would then tlvely operable response to the extent of joint open at the valve seat 102 and block the remainder of P P of said spray head and the first one of the slot 74 under all conditions. The lower surface 106 sa1d of nested P g f the inner plunger 66 is adapted to engage against and 2. A valve assembly as claimed in cla1m 1 wherein sa1d Stopped in downward movement of plunger 66 by the first metenngmeans 1n sa1d second plunger is normally fl 96 and a h f 108 on the plunger cooperates blocked by sa1d first plunger prior to the oint movement with fillet 98 to keep the inner plunger 66 centered in of sa1d first Plunger and sa1d 2 l h cavity 94. A central spring seating recess 110 has a small A Valve assembly clalmefi m clalm 1 Wherelh or Weak spring 112 mounted therein engaging 96 sa1d first netenng means is a rad1al groove through the and urging plunger 66 upward so that its Seat 102 engages wall of said second valve plunger, and said second meterthe underside of the gasket 50 and seals the slot 74 and mg means compmfis a the P F sa1d socket 64 from the cavity The bottom 106 may first valve plunger in communication with said axial slot. have transverse relief grooves 114 to prevent the capture A Valve, assembly f 1a1med m clam 1 4 of fluid in a compression piston eflect in movement of .Sald lost'motlol} connectlon comprlses a remiss 1n t the plunger 66 relative to the phmger 80' inner wall of said first plu ger, and a compressionsprmg The operation of the apparatus is shown progressively mounted therem S,a1d spnng being mounted Wlthm in the three vl-fiws FIGS 3, 6 and 7' recess and extending outwardly and downwardly into In FIG. 3, the plunges 66 and 80 are ,both seated and engagement with the interior of sa1d second valve plunger for permitting the joint movement of said valve plungers.

5. A valve assembl as claimed in claim 1 wherein Y mstanfa'd f fhsiurbmg thls said lost motion conneZtion consists of a first spring noreven Spring 112 15 Very hght Its Pressuremally biasing said valve assembly to a closed position, In FIG. 6, the user has pus p y h 54 down and a second, weaker spring interposed between said With finger, :dgalnst p i Sprmg nested plungers, so that said first plunger moves downpressing the spring, unseating the inner valve seat 102, wardly within said second plunger a pre-determined there is no dispensing. The spray head 54 may be readily distance before said plungers overcome the bias of said stronger spring and move jointly.

6. A pressurized valve structure adapted to be secured to a pressurized container and comprising: a cover member having a sealing member secured therein, a pair of hollow bore, closed bottom telescoping valve plungers secured in sealing engagement with the sealing member and a passageway through the cover member and sealing member aligned with the bore of the inner plunger, a dispensing spray head with a slotted bottom hollow stem removably and sealingly engaged through the passageway and bottomed in the inner bore, "a spring biasing the inner plunger upward in the bore of the outer plunger and against said sealing member, a stronger spring biasing the outer plunger against the sealing member, a first metering orifice in the stern and being a part of the slot, said first metering orifice being blocked when the inner plunger is in sealing engagement with the sealing member but establishing communication between the bore of the outer plunger and the hollow stem when the stem has been partially pushed downward to lower the inner plunger out of engagement with said sealing member, and a second metering orifice in the outer plunger between the bore of the outer plunger and its exterior [for passing a relatively small flow of pressurized product when only the inner plunger has been lowered, the outer plunger adapted to be lowered by pushing the stem downward to bottom the inner plunger in the bore of the outer plunger and thereafter continuing to push said stern downward until the outer plunger is also out of engagement with said sealing member to provide for a greater flow from the exterior of said outer plunger to its bore and thence through said first metering orifice.

7. The structure as claimed in claim 6 in which there is a valve housing secured to said cover member on its bottom face, and said plungers are disposed in said housing and guided for reciprocal movement therein, and in which the said strong spring extends between the inside bottom end of the housing and the bottom end of the outer plunger.

8. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer plunger has a valve seat on its end engaging the sealing member, and the second metering orifice is a transverse groove in said valve seat.

9. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the upper end of the slot extends out of said bore and the exposed portion comprises said first metering orifice.

10. Apparatus for providing at least two different spray rates selectively from a pressurized container, the apparatus adapted to be mounted to the container and the container adapted to carry a pressurized product therein to be dispensed through the medium of the apparatus, said apparatus comprising a cover member adapted for sealed securement to the container top, a central boss formed in the cover member, a hollow valve housing secured to the bottom of the boss with means connected thereto for leading pressurized product into the housing, an annular resilient gasket clamped to the inside of the boss by the valve housing, openings in the gasket and boss coaxially aligned, a pair of valve plungers in the housing nested one inside the other and coaxial with the gasket opening, the outer plunger being arranged for vertical reciprocal movement in the housing and having a first valve seat on its upper end and spring biased from its bottom end to press the said first valve seat against the underside of the gasket, the outer plunger having a closed bottom cavity with the inner plunger disposed in the cavity for vertical reciprocal movement therein and said inner plunger having a second valve seat on its upper end and being spring biased from its bottom end to press the second valve seat against the underside of the gasket to block the opening in the gasket, first and second spring means in the housing and cavity respectively to provide said bias, the first means being substantially stronger than the second, a closed bottom socket in the inner plung er opening upward and coaxial with the openings, a dispenser spray head having a hollow depending stem with a side slot opening to the bottom of the stem and the stem being removably engaged slidingly and sealingly through the openings and into the socket with the upper end of the slot terminating above the socket, a first internal metering orifice in the outer plunger communicating between the housing and cavity and being always open, the upper end of said slot and the top of the socket cooperating to provide a second internal metering orifice of greater flow capacity than the first but being blocked from communication with said cavity when said second valve seat is engaged against the gasket, the apparatus being operable in two stages to provide different spray rates, first when the spray head is depressed to move the second plunger unseating the second valve seat without unseating the first valve seat, and second when further depressed to also move the first plunger and unseat the first valve seat.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which there are means for centering the first valve plunger relative to the second as said first plunger moves downward.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,583 4/1938 Adams 222514 X 2,504,276 4/ 1950 Olsen 222-514 X 2,634,751 4/1953 Borer 25177 X 2,913,154 11/1959 Kutfer. 3,052,382 9/1962 Gawthorp 222---5 14 X 3,073,489 1/ 1963 Friedman.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR PROVIDING SELECTIVELY DIFFERENT SPRAY RATES FROM A PRESSURIZED PACKAGE, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: (A) A DISPENSER SPRAY HEAD WITH A HOLLOW DEPENDING STEM, AND AN AXIAL SLOT EXTENDING CLEAR THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID STEM, (B) A PAIR OF VALVE PLUNGERS, (C) THE FIRST ONE OF SAID PLUGERS BEING NESTED WITHIN THE SECOND ONE OF SAID PLUNGERS, (D) SAID SPRAY HEAD BEING SEATED WITHIN SAID FIRST PLUNGER FOR JOINT MOVEMENT THEREWITH, (E) A LOST MOTION CONNECTION FOR ENABLING THE JOINT MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND PLUNGER AND SAID FIRST PLUNGER ONLY AFTER SAID FIRST PLUNGER HAS BEEN MOVED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, (F) SAID SECOND PLUNGER HAVING FIRST METERING MEANS FOR DETERMINING A RELATIVELY FINE RATE OF FLOW OF THE PRESSURIZED PRODUCT BEING DISPENSED THROUGH SAID SPRAY HEAD, (G) SECOND METERING MEANS DEFINED BETWEEN SAID FIRST VALVE PLUNGER AND SAID SLOT IN SAID SPRAY HEAD FOR DETERMINING A RELATIVELY COARSE RATE OF FLOW OF THE PRESSURIZED PRODUCT BEING DISPENSED THROUGH SAID SPRAY HEAD, (H) SAID FIRST AND SECOND METERING MEANS BEING SELECTIVELY OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE EXTENT OF JOINT MOVEMENT OF SAID SPRAY HEAD AND THE FIRST ONE OF SAID PAIR OF NESTED PLUNGERS. 